Overview
Synopsis
May is hiding out in a run-down motel room when her former lover, Eddie, shows up. He’s driven more than 2,000 miles to take her back but May makes it clear she has no desire to be with him. She has a new life, including a new man who happens to be on the way to pick her up for a date. Omnipresent throughout the play is the mysterious Old Man, who only interacts with Eddie or May when the other is out of the room. Fool for Love has all the combustible tension of a Sam Shepard play, with challenging lead roles that require explosive chemistry between the actors. Shepard calls for the play to be performed “relentlessly, without a break” on a unit set representing a low-rent motel room on the edge of the Mojave Desert.
Show Information
- Book
- Sam Shepard
- Category
- Play
- Age Guidance
- Mature Audiences (M)
- Number of Acts
- 1
- First Produced
- 1983
- Genres
- Drama
- Settings
- Unit/Single Set, Contemporary
- Time & Place
- A stark motel room in the Mojave Desert, Present Day
- Cast Size
- small
- Licensor
- Dramatists Play Service
- Ideal For
- Small Cast, Regional Theatre, Professional Theatre, Mostly Male Cast, Includes Adult, Elderly Characters
Context
Sam Shepard wrote Fool for Love after breaking up with his wife. He described the play as "the outcome of all this tumultuous feeling I've been going through this past year.” It premiered at San Francisco’s Magic Theatre in 1983 and transferred off-Broadway later that year. Both productions starred Ed Harris and Kathy Baker in the lead roles. The off-Broadway premiere received generally good reviews. Frank Rich of the New York Times observed that Shepard’s works “often play more feverishly
to read the context for Fool for Love and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Plot
Eddie has driven thousands of miles to see May, who is staying in a low-rent motel. He insists that she come with him, but she refuses. May brings up a Countess that Eddie apparently had an affair with and accuses him of suckering her into a fantasy and then disappearing. Eddie says he’ll leave, and May pulls him into a long, tender kiss before kneeing him in the groin. When she goes into the bathroom, The Old Man talks to Eddie, pointing out a picture on the wall that isn’t really there. He
to read the plot for Fool for Love and to unlock other amazing theatre resources!Characters
| Name | Part Size | Gender | Vocal Part |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
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|
Lead |
Female |
Non-singer |
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|
Lead |
Male |
Non-singer |
|
|
Supporting |
Male |
Non-singer |
Songs
A song with an asterisk (*) before the title indicates a dance number; a character listed in a song with an asterisk (*) by the character's name indicates that the character exclusively serves as a dancer in this song, which is sung by other characters.
Monologues
Scenes
Key Terms
A group of five people performing together, generally associated with musical groups.
Videos
Quizzes
Themes, Symbols & Motifs
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Quote Analysis
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Guide Written By:
Kevan Dunkelberg
Oklahoma-based drama teacher, actor and playwright